The present invention relates to the processing of data in a telecommunications network, particularly in a mobile network.
It more particularly relates to the cooperation between third-party service providers and an operator of a telecommunications network.
The amount and volume of digital content available on IP (“Internet Protocol”)-based mobile telecommunications networks are growing exponentially.
Mobile network operators are looking to offer attractive technical solutions for requesting access to the resources of a telecommunications network, to third-party service providers. Service providers can thus request a certain quality of service for the transport of data of the service provider in the data communications network.
The main issues for the network operator are allowing the service provider to specify the network resource requirements for a given service, and implementing network mechanisms to better control the resources needed for this service.
New functionalities such as PCC (“Policy and Charging Control”) are described in the 3GPP standards. These functionalities have been or are being deployed by telecommunications network operators. Among the various features of PCC, it is possible for a service provider to request a certain quality of service for the current service in the telecommunications network. Such a request requires sending a request over an Rx interface (defined in the standard “Technical Specification Group Core Network and Terminals; Policy and Charging Control over Rx reference point”, TS 29-214, Version 11.8.0 of Mar. 15, 2013) which uses a network protocol called Diameter.
Such a protocol choice is effective in meeting network operator requirements in setting up the network resources for the requested service. However, such a protocol is not suitable for use by third-party service providers.
To improve the interface between the service provider and the network operator, the 3GPP standard “Study on XML based access of AF to the PCRF,” TR29-817, version 0.1.0 of June 2013, proposes assessing the value of an XML-based web protocol support to supplement the current Diameter protocol.
For this purpose, a protocol converter (PC) of the network is able to communicate with service providers via an XML interface, and with a PCC server via the Rx interface.
Such a solution requires that the service provider specify, in an XML file, all necessary attributes for the allocation of resources by the mobile network operator. The protocol converter then receives the XML file containing a set of values for technical parameter and initiates a message that contains the values of these parameters using the Diameter protocol, to enable transmission of the message to the PCC server.
To initiate the message according to the Diameter protocol, the protocol converter establishes a one-to-one correspondence between the parameter values received via the XML interface and the values indicated in the Rx interface message.
Such a solution therefore requires that the third-party service provider indicate in the XML file all the parameters necessary for the Rx interface, which requires technical expertise by the service provider in understanding the technical parameters (such as the guaranteed maximum bitrate, etc.) and in configuring the values associated with these parameters.
However, the service provider does not necessarily have such technical expertise, which complicates access to the functionalities of the PCC server.